


Apart

by makkurataichou



Series: Boy Next Door [2]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: And Lots of It, Childhood Friends, M/M, Neighbour AU, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-05 21:26:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12802710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makkurataichou/pseuds/makkurataichou
Summary: ‘I guess...we weren’t as inseparable as I’d thought.’After so many years spent together, Mikleo tries to adjust to life without Sorey.





	Apart

**Author's Note:**

> HERE'S PART TWO FEATURING A LOT OF PINING MIKLEO TRYING TO MOVE ON WITH HIS LIFE. This is more of a transition chapter than anything, but I hope you all still enjoy!!

When Mikleo arrived at his house that evening, he saw his mother sitting on the front porch. But she wasn’t alone—Oysh, the Heldalf family dog, was curled up at her feet. Mikleo had never been a fan of dogs, but Oysh was a quiet, old thing who had always held nothing but affection for him and Sorey, and so Mikleo had been able to forge a bond of mutual respect with him over the years.

“Why is Oysh here, mom?” he asked quietly.

Muse acknowledged his presence and gave him a sad smile. “Selene asked us to take care of him for Sorey, since his father wouldn’t be around enough to do it. They left a few hours ago.”

Mikleo nodded. “I know. I...saw Sorey off.”

The dog looked up at him and let out a soft whine. It was in that moment that everything began to sink in. Sorey was gone, and Mikleo wouldn’t see him again for another year at least. There would be no more impulse sleepovers, no more late-night trips for ice-cream with Rose and Alisha, and no more pebbles thrown at his window to incite a conversation whenever Sorey needed an escape. There would be no Sorey at all...no constant presence to keep an eye on, or to give him comfort when he needed it. HIs best friend had left Elysia for good.

Mikleo hadn’t wanted to cry in front of Sorey. But now, he allowed the tears to fall, allowed his mother to wrap him in her warm embrace as Oysh padded up to them and curled his body around their feet in a gesture of comfort.

_ ‘I guess...we weren’t as inseparable as I’d thought.’ _

* * *

Two days later, he received a phone call.

“Hey, Mikleo,” said the voice on the other end, slightly distorted but still unmistakably Sorey’s. “This...this is weird, huh?”

“...mm.” Mikleo nodded at first, then made a noise of affirmation when he realized that Sorey couldn’t see it. He was used to talking to Sorey in person and didn’t get phone calls often, so being called by Sorey was odd, to say the least. But if things were going to stay this way, he’d have to get used to it.

“We just got to Ladylake,” he heard Sorey say—he sounded groggy, almost as if he’d just woken up from a nap. “Mom’s looking for the map to Gramps’ apartment now. He sent her physical directions, so I’m gonna need to navigate.”

Mikleo laughed softly. “Your Gramps is still as old-fashioned as ever.”

“He’s still super cool though, I swear!” A pause. “I wish you could meet him.”

_ ‘I wish I could too,’ _ was what Mikleo wanted to say. But he held back his response, knowing that it’d make Sorey feel more homesick than he probably already was. “Why’d you call so soon?” he asked instead, settling into their usual teasing banter. “Couldn’t wait until you got home to hear my voice again?”

“Yeah.” Sorey’s sincerity caught him off-guard, and he inexplicably turned beet-red. “I meant it when I said I’d miss you, Mikleo.”

“I...meant it too,” he murmured into the phone a moment later, loud enough so Sorey could hear it. “I just want to know that you’re settling in properly.”

Sorey’s laugh sounded tinny over the phone, and yet just as bright as ever. “I said I’d send you pictures, didn’t I? That hasn’t changed. So you can stop worrying.”

Mikleo scrunched up his nose. “I’m not worrying—”

“You’re making that face, aren’t you?” The teasing grin on Sorey’s face was obvious when he said, “I can tell.”

“I—just forget it,” Mikleo sighed, but it was more wistful than it was angry. “Send me a text when you get to your apartment, okay? And help your mom get there.”

“Will do! Bye, Mikleo!”

“...bye.”

The phone line went dead, and silence filled Mikleo’s room once again. For some reason, everything felt just a little dimmer now that Sorey’s voice wasn’t bouncing off the walls. Mikleo tried to push the feeling away as he turned back to his notes, but now that he was aware of the difference, he found it hard to concentrate.

“I can get used to life without him,” he told himself, shutting his books with a sigh, “but the moment he jumps back in, I go back to wishing everything was the same as before.”

* * *

It wasn’t easy for Mikleo to fill the void that Sorey had left behind. He tried immersing himself in homework, extra-curricular activities, and even took swimming lessons for a short while before giving up on them entirely. Somehow he was never able to give any of them the same amount of attention and dedication he’d given to his time spent with Sorey—even if they’d spent hours lounging around doing nothing in particular, somehow it had always been more meaningful.

Until one day, he decided he’d spent enough time wallowing in his own thoughts. Grabbing an empty notebook from one of his desk drawers, he began to write down some of his fondest memories spent with Sorey, along with some of the things he wished they’d gotten to do before he had left.

_ ‘I miss our early morning walks in the park with Oysh.’ _

_ ‘I wish we’d been able to finish more video games together.’ _

_ ‘I wish...I’d kissed him back that day.’ _

The last one filled Mikleo with a strange emptiness that he couldn’t quite place. His feelings for Sorey had always run deeper than he’d been able to put words to...but now that he’d written them down, everything seemed so much clearer in his head. It wasn’t as though he’d always longed to kiss Sorey, but after that day, he’d begun to realize that he wasn’t as opposed to it as he’d initially thought.

He’d begun to realize that he would have been okay with them exchanging more than just one kiss.

Seeing it on the page made Mikleo want to cover his face with his hands and disappear. Why did he have to realize his feelings for Sorey so long after he left? Why now, after spending nearly sixteen years together and barely a month apart? He hated the complicated thoughts that came along with it, thoughts about his friend that had once been purely platonic now intensified by his fond memories.

_ ‘I wanted to see him smile always.’ _

_ ‘I wanted to wipe away all of his tears.’ _

_ ‘I wanted to be beside him forever.’ _

Mikleo didn’t realize that he was crying again until he saw a tear drip onto the page below him. Shaking his head, he wiped at his eyes and shut the notebook, reaching into his bag to pull out a textbook instead.

_ ‘I need to channel these feelings into something else.’ _

* * *

“So Mikleo, Rose told me you’d started writing.”

Mikleo paused, the pencil in his hand stilling at the words that hit way too close to home. “W-what else did she tell you?”

He heard Sorey’s thoughtful hum over the phone and tried to picture it in his head as best he could. “She said it was historical fiction, but she didn’t say what genre.”

“...okay.” Mikleo didn’t have the courage to tell him what it was. If Sorey knew he’d been writing  _ romantic _ historical fiction for months, he’d never hear the end of it.

Not to mention the fact that if he found out what it was inspired by— 

“You should let me read it sometime!”

Mikleo jumped and slammed his notebook shut on instinct. “N-n-no!” he blurted out as quickly as he could. “I-I mean, it’s just a bunch of unfinished drafts, anyway…”

“Aww, come on!” He heard the pout in Sorey’s voice this time. “You never hid your unfinished drawings from me when we were kids!”

“That was different.” he groused right back. “I might actually want to publish these someday. I want them to be a surprise.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, but it was a bit of a stretch. Still, Sorey seemed to buy it, if the sigh of acceptance on the other end was any indication. “Okaaay,” he droned. “I won’t force you.”

Mikleo smiled to himself as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his back and staring at the ceiling. He heard the soft creak of bedsprings over the phone, indicating that Sorey had probably decided to lay down in a similar manner. They remained silent for a while—a comforting silence that washed over Mikleo and made him feel completely at ease.

Then, he heard Sorey clear his throat. “Hey, Mik...I’m sorry.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Sorry? For what?”

“For...for that day. The day I left.”

Mikleo tensed. He didn’t know whether Sorey was referring to the kiss, or the fact that he’d left so abruptly. But it didn’t matter either way. He’d come to terms with his feelings by now, as well as Sorey’s sudden departure. In many ways, it’d been better for both of them rather than dragging out their farewells for longer than necessary.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he replied, hoping the sincerity in his voice would ease Sorey’s worries. “Seriously, Sorey, don’t worry about it, okay?”

His response felt incomplete—he wanted to add a “thank you for the kiss” or “my feelings are the same”, but he suddenly found himself too scared to say the words out loud. What if Sorey was apologizing because he regretted his actions? What if it had been an impulse decision, or a failed experiment? If he brought up his feelings now, it had the potential to ruin sixteen years of friendship, and he couldn’t bring himself to risk it.

_ ‘It’ll be easier to deal with in person,’ _ Mikleo decided.  _ ‘I won’t say anything until we meet next summer. Then...if he still feels the same…’ _

“Thanks, Mikleo.”

Mikleo felt his heart skip a beat at the warmth in Sorey’s voice. He was clearly smiling, the affection in his words too strong to ignore. “That really means a lot,” he continued. “Really. You have no idea.”

_ ‘He’s been thinking about this for a while,’  _ Mikleo realized with a start. “Of course,” he said, trying to keep his voice as neutral as he possibly could. “I’d never hold something like that against you.”

He heard Sorey heave a sigh of relief. “Y-yeah...I know. I should’ve known.” A pause. Then: “You’re the best, Mik.”

Mikleo didn’t know how much more of this his heart could take.

“I…” he stuttered, suddenly at a loss for words. “I have to go...uh, Lailah invited me out to a tea party and I need to get ready, and—”

“Oh! Sorry for keeping you!” Sorey sounded genuinely apologetic, and Mikleo flinched, hating that his blatant lie made Sorey feel bad. “I’ll, uh, let you go then.”

“Y-yeah. Sorry,” he added quickly, meaning it in more ways than one. “I’ll call you again tomorrow, okay?”

“Mm! I’ll be waiting!”

Mikleo ended the call and buried his face in his arms. At this rate, he wasn’t going to last long.

* * *

The day Sorey got his braces removed, he sent Mikleo a picture.

Mikleo knew the universe had to be conspiring against him. Sorey's smile had always been endearing, but without his braces, it shone bright and true with nothing to hold it back, making his heart skip a beat.

_ ‘A smile to rival ten-thousand suns,’ _ Mikleo thought in his writer's voice.  _ ‘Now that I’ve seen his smile, I can get through the rest of the day.’ _

Then, Mikleo's phone vibrated with the sound of another notification. He picked it up and saw another picture from Sorey—this time of a dental retainer sitting on a tissue, dripping with saliva. Sorey's message read: 

_ “I get to wear this now! Gross, huh?” _

Mikleo cringed but also let out a soft laugh. Then, he rapidly covered his mouth with his hands, hoping the rest of his friends hadn’t noticed. But the damage was done—Edna raised an eyebrow at him from across the table, while Rose jumped out of her chair and ran over, peering at the picture over his shoulder before he could tuck his phone back into his pocket.

“That's disgusting!” she exclaimed loudly, startling everyone else in the school cafeteria. “Man, Sorey is such a dork. The two of you are made for each other.”

“W-we’re not,” Mikleo muttered into his palm. “Especially now that he's so far away—”

“Oh?” Rose wiggled her eyebrows. “You're not denying it anymore, huh?”

Edna grinned. “Is it just distance now that keeps our poor lovesick Meebo from pining over his other half?”

“I just told you guys, it’s not like that—hey!”

His shout of protest fell on deaf ears as Edna pulled the phone out of his hands and typed a response into the chat box before hitting send. Mikleo snatched it back from her and heaved a sigh when he saw what she had sent Sorey. Her message read: 

_ “Disgusting. Some of us are trying to eat, you know.” _

He cringed, wondering what Sorey would think. Moments later, however, a response popped up.

_ “Is that Edna? I hope you guys are taking care of Mikleo!” _

Rose laughed. “He can tell you two apart! Honestly, sometimes he really catches me off-guard with how much he cares.”

Mikleo said nothing in response, tugging at the ends of his hair shyly. Then, another notification popped up on his screen, prompting both Edna and Rose to squeeze closer and read the words over his shoulders.

_ “By the way, did Mikleo smile? I hope I could make him smile!” _

Mikleo’s ears turned red and he sunk further into his chair as both Edna and Rose gave him a knowing look. “S-stop staring at me like that,” he grumbled, focusing his attention on typing out a response to Sorey instead.

_ “I did. But Edna’s right, that is disgusting.” _

He hesitated for a moment before sending another message.

_ “And...also pretty cool.”  _

It didn’t take long for Sorey’s next few messages to pop up onto the screen.

_ “Right?! Hey, when do you think retainers were first invented?” _

_ “Did you know braces existed in the 18th Century?!” _

Mikleo smiled. Now he was in his element, thumbs rapidly gliding across the screen as he tapped out a response.

_ “They existed well before then. There’s been evidence found of them existing in 400 BCE.” _

As the conversation continued, Rose and Edna drifted back to their seats. “Hopeless,” Edna muttered, burying her face in her arms, while Rose resumed shoveling food into her mouth.

“They’re gonna move at their own pace,” the redhead declared between bites, “but just wait until Sorey comes back next summer and sees how  _ pretty _ his best friend has gotten.”

She glanced over at Mikleo to gauge his reaction, but he didn’t respond, too immersed in his small world with Sorey to get riled up or flustered like he usually did. Rose couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“You’ll see him again soon, you dork.”

* * *

‘Soon’, as it turned out, would come much later than Mikleo had hoped.

It was the start of his spring term, and Mikleo was already nose-deep in books while steadily observing his calendar, watching as the day of Sorey's return visit to Elysia drew closer and closer...all until he suddenly received a phone call from his best friend one evening.

“...hey, Mikleo.” Sorey sounded hesitant over the phone. “There's something I need to tell you.”

Mikleo froze. “Is something wrong?” he asked, suddenly concerned. It wasn't like Sorey to hold back when he had something to say.

“Sort of, yeah.” Sorey paused, like he was searching for the right words. Mikleo heard him swallow over the phone. “I don't really know how to put this…”

_ ‘Put what?’  _ Had Sorey gotten hurt? Was he...in a relationship with someone? Had he finally decided that he wanted to talk about the kiss from months ago that they'd both somehow managed to avoid discussing ever since? There were so many possibilities, he didn’t even know where to start—

“I...won't be able to visit Elysia this summer.”

Mikleo's world came screeching to a halt. 

“W-what?” he stammered, suddenly unable to focus on anything aside from the apologetic tone in Sorey's voice.

“A classmate signed me up for a soccer training camp, and I said yes,” he explained. “I didn't realize it was going to be over the summer...and it's too late for me to back out now. Mikleo, I...I'm sorry—”

He should've seen this coming. How many times had the things he'd desperately hoped for fallen through? All the nights he'd stayed up hoping that the situation with Sorey's parents would improve...all the days he'd spent wishing that Sorey could stay in Elysia instead of leaving...and now, every moment he'd spent counting down to Sorey's return…

It had all been for nothing.

He shook his head. “You don't have to apologize,” he whispered, trying to sound as calm and collected as he could while his heart continued to crack. “I-I know how much soccer means to you. Our promise...it was just a bunch of words. Nothing more.”

He could hear Sorey's frown over the phone. “Mikleo...you know it meant more to me than that.”

“I...I know.” Mikleo relented, putting his pencil down and resting his cheek against his desk. “I’m sorry, Sorey. It meant a lot to me, too. I—” He paused before throwing all his caution to the wind. “I was really hoping to see you again.”

“...me too.” Sorey sounded absolutely helpless over the phone when he said, “I'm  _ so sorry _ , Mikleo.”

He could sense Sorey’s genuine disappointment even from hundreds of miles away—it wasn’t hard to imagine Sorey sitting at the edge of his bed, hunched over with phone in hand, a defeated look on his face. No amount of apologies would make Mikleo feel better, but he knew that this whole situation was no easier on Sorey, especially now that they would be apart for much longer than either of them had anticipated.

“You...you're gonna have to make it up to me the summer after,” Mikleo finally breathed. He wanted nothing more than to put a smile back on Sorey's face and bring some hope back into the situation, for both of their sakes.

“Let’s go get ice cream again,” he continued, “and we can go hunting for crickets like we used to when we were kids.”

Sorey chuckled, though it sounded more muffled than usual—Mikleo assumed he was covering his mouth with his hand. “I thought you hated being out that late at night.”

“I’ll make an exception next time,” Mikleo huffed. “ _ If _ that’s something you want to do, anyway.”

“Mm. Yeah, it is.” A pause, during which he imagined Sorey running a hand through his hair. “I’ll take you to the old drive-in theatre too. And the restaurant you and Rose used to like so much.”

“That place still has the best curry buns.”

“I’ll bet!” Then, there was another pause before Sorey added, “and we can go to the park too. Th-that is, if you want to.”

Mikleo froze. The park where Sorey had kissed him. Sorey’s suggestion may have been a simple, innocuous statement, or it may have held the promise of more, but either way, Mikleo knew what he wanted to say. He’d spent enough time mulling over his feelings, and he knew that he would be content whether they remained close friends or whether their relationship transitioned into something more. Mikleo’s lips stretched into a soft smile before he gave Sorey his answer.

“I’d love to.”

* * *

The summer without Sorey passed agonizingly slowly. Without much schoolwork to fill the void, and most of his friends leaving town on vacation, Mikleo resigned himself to writing in his room for hours on end. His remaining time was spent with his mother and Oysh, but the Sorey-sized void in his summer was simply too large to fill.

“So you finished your first draft, right?”

Mikleo’s fingers stilled on the keyboard, and he smiled softly, even though Sorey couldn’t see it. “Yes,” he replied. “I’m editing it right now, in fact.”

“You still won’t let me read it though,” Sorey complained, and Mikleo heard him huff softly at the end of his statement. “How am I supposed to be your number one fan if I don’t know what to support?”

Mikleo’s eyes grew wide, and he instinctively closed his document, suddenly somehow afraid that Sorey could read it over the phone. “Y-you’ve got more important things to do,” he shot back, trying to busy himself with something else on his desk. “How is soccer camp? It's your last week, isn't it?”

“You're always changing the subject,” he heard Sorey mutter, his words probably muffled by his hand. “Soccer camp was great, though! I'm gonna miss it, to be honest.”

Mikleo made a face. “The pictures made it look...sunny.”

“It was! It gets  _ way  _ hotter here than it ever did in Elysia!” There was a pause before Sorey added, “but I'm sure you'd still like it here, there's tons of stuff to do indoors, too.”

“I don't doubt it.”

“And has your summer been okay?” Mikleo froze at the question. Sorey's voice was soft and full of concern, and he felt his face heat up in response.

“I-it was alright,” he said dismissively. “You already know I got a lot of writing done. And spent time with mom and Oysh.”

“I know.” He could tell that Sorey was smiling now. “I was just...worried. I wish I could be there right now.”

“Didn't you just say you were going to miss soccer camp? You’d better be having a good time if you're not here,” Mikleo teased, trying his best to mask how he really felt.

“The soccer is great!” Sorey insisted. “The people...not so much. But!” he began before Mikleo could interject. “I spend more time playing than talking to anyone, and that's what matters.”

Mikleo frowned. He didn't think Sorey, of all people, would have trouble getting along with his peers. But whatever the issue was, he didn't want to pry and force Sorey into his dismissive shell any further.

“Less than a year to go now, huh?” he sighed instead, playing with a pencil on his desk. “We have to pick colleges soon, too.  _ That's  _ going to be fun.”

Sorey laughed at the mirthless tone in Mikleo's voice. “I have a few top choices in the city already...but I haven't applied to any of them yet.”

“Neither have I. But I have a list too.”

The conversation dissolved into silence and occasional banter, until Sorey went to bed an hour later. Mikleo moved to save his document and, to his surprise, noticed that he’d managed to do more revisions during their conversation than he'd gotten through in the past week.

With a weary sigh, he switched off his computer and flopped down on his bed, turning on his side to stare at the wall.

_ ‘Guess I really do work better when my muse is around.’ _

* * *

When the school year rolled around, things began to move a little faster. Mikleo found himself enjoying his time with his other friends—he began taking baking lessons from Lailah, and went out to get curry buns with Rose, Alisha, and Edna every other weekend. Slowly but surely, he was getting used to Sorey's absence. They stayed in constant contact, but his days no longer felt as cold and empty as they had at the start.

He also found himself attending more social gatherings at Rose’s house. When they were younger, he and Sorey had often strayed away from parties in favour of slumber parties or trips to their local diner, but now that his anchor was gone, Mikleo knew it would be better for him to grow more comfortable around crowds, rather than locking himself away at home alone. His friends were always glad to have him, and he spent several holidays in their company.

The first few months of the next year passed quickly, and before he knew it, only a little over a month remained until the start of summer. Mikleo began to wonder whether Sorey would be alright living in his old home, knowing it was probably filled with unpleasant memories, but he also knew that he and his mother would be more than happy to host Sorey if that was the case.

Absently, he twirled a strand of hair around his finger. It had grown longer in the two years Sorey had been away, barely reaching past his chin now. At first, he'd let it grow out of sheer laziness, but over time, he'd decided to keep it, wondering if it would come as proof that he had changed where Elysia hadn't...wondering whether Sorey would like it.

The last thought came unbidden, and he placed a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide the heat slowly rising to his cheeks.

From the kitchen, Oysh barked, and he heard the sound of his phone ringing mere moments later. Pushing himself off the couch, he walked over to the kitchen counter and gave the dog a quick scratch behind the ears before accepting the call, pressing the phone to his ear.

“Hi Mikleo!”

He couldn't help but smile at the sound of the enthusiastic voice on the other end. “Hi, Sorey. What's up?”

He heard a thoughtful hum on the other end before Sorey spoke again. “I was just wondering...when does your summer vacation start?”

Mikleo raised an eyebrow, despite knowing Sorey couldn't see it. “My last exam is on the sixteenth.”

“Of June?” There was a sound of papers being shuffled. “Ok, got it. I'll meet you at the gates and walk you home, okay?”

Mikleo’s heart skipped a beat. “Y-you will?” he said, louder than he'd intended. “I mean...you'll be here?”

“Yeah.” Sorey’s voice was warm. “I said I'd make it up to you for last summer, didn't I? I wanna spend every single day with you, if you'll have me.”

Unable to resist, Mikleo let out a watery laugh. “Yes. Of course, Sorey. I'm looking forward to it.”

“Me too.” The words were breathy, like Sorey was laughing into the phone as well. “I've missed you, Mik. I can't wait to see you again.”

At those words, Mikleo’s traitorous heart began to thump wildly in his chest, his mind suddenly playing out all kinds of scenarios of what their reunion would be like. He shook his head to chase them away.

“I'm excited to see you too,” he replied, trying to keep his voice as steady as he possibly could. “Don't get too excited and rush over, though. Remember that time you almost got hit by a car?”

“I was a dumb kid! I'm better than that now, I swear!” A pause. “I'll definitely make it back to you in one piece, just like I promised.”

Mikleo looked out at the garden, where the anemone flowers were growing against their wall—a vibrant purple creating a stark contrast against weathered stone. He smiled.

“I'll be waiting.”


End file.
